Improvement in magazine fire-arms



NITED STATES PATENT (OFFICE.

JAMES A. WHITNEY, 0F MARYLAND, NEW YORK. i

IMPROVEMENT IN MAGAZINE FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 67.242, dated July 30, 1867; autedated'Jnly 18, 1867.

Know all uhom it may concern:

That I, JAMES A. WHITNEY, late of Maryland, in the connty'of Otsego and State of New York, but now of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and Sta-te of New Jersey, have iuvented an Improved Magazine Fire-Arm; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull,

clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a partof this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a firearm constructed according to my invent constructed with a carrying-chamber arranged below and back of the solid recoil-face thereof, in combination with the barrel and a suitable cartridge-magazine, whereby1 not only is secured a very simple and eicient means'cf elevating the cartridges from the magazine to a position in line with the bore of thobarrel preparatory to loading the tire-arm, but also of closing the breech in a more solid and secure manner than would bepossible if the carrying-chamber formed a portion of the rear end ofthe bore of the barrel when the breech is closed.

The invention further consists in so combining an arm of the operating-lever with the breech-block that the forward movement of the said arm not only serves to elevate the breech-block to bring the recoil-face thereof away from, and therearrying-chamber in lille with the bore of the barrel, but also to force the cartridge from the said chamber into its place in the said bore.

The invention further consists in the combination of a down wardl y-extending spur formed upon the breech-block with the arm ofthe operating-lever, whereby the breech-block is securely locked in place to close the breech.

The invention further consists in a slot formed in the breech-block and extending through or into the carrying-chamber thereof', of such shape and so arranged in relation with the arm of the operating-lever that the said arm in its forward movement holds the breech-block in a stationary position while forcing the cartridge forward from the aforesaid carryingchamber into the barrel, thus elfectually insuring the proper insertion of the cartridge into the latter by a very simple means.

To enable others to understand the construction and'operation of my in ventioml will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawlugs. i

A. represents the barrel of the fire-arm, and B the breech-receiver, into which the rearmostend of the said barrel is screwed or otherwise properly secured, the said breech-receiver being attached to the stock C in any suitable manner. Situated longitudinally underneath the barrel A is the tubular cartridge-magazine D, in whichv is situated a spiral spring, a, and sliding piece or piston b, (shown in red outline in the drawings,) and the office of which is to force back the cartridges in the magazine, as required in the operation of loading.

The breech-block is marked E in the drawings, and is pivoted at its rearlnost end by a transverse pivot, c, the axis of which should not be above the axis of the bore of the barrel A, but preferably a little lower than the same. This breechfblock E iseonstructed with a strong spur, d, which projects downward from the rearmost end of the said block, and the lower end of which, when the breech is closed, as shown in Fig. 1, rests against the extremity of the arm e ot' the operating-lever F in such manner as to resist any tendency of the breech-block to be thrown upward by the recoil of the charge in firing.

The recoil-face of the breech-block E, or, in other words, that portion thereof which closes the breech or rear end ofthe barrel, and against which the recoil ofthe charge in rin gis exerted, is shown at f and formed in the lower part of the forward portion of the aforesaid breechblock, below and back of the recoil-facef, just mentioned, is a cylindrical carrying-chamber, g, which is so situated that when the breechblock E is depressed to close the breech, as shown in Fig. 1, the forward end of the said carrying-chalnber will coincide with the rearmost end of the magazine D, the carryingchamber thus constituting, as it were, a continuation of the magazine, and when the breechhlockis elevated, as represented in Fig. 2, will be brought in line with the bore of the barrel A. Formed longitiulimillyin the under side of the breech-block is a deep vertical groove or slot, m, which extends upward through the carrying-chamber g, and the upper side of which is curved or shaped as shown at e b c', in order to enable the arm c of the operatinglever F to elevate the breech-block; and to hold the same in position while forcing the cartridge froln the carrying-claimher into the barrel, as. will hereinafter be fully set forth.

The operating-lever F is pivoted upon a transverse pivot, a, and when the breech-block is depressed-or, in other words, when the breech is closed-may extend forward, as represented n Fie'. l, and be retained in such position by a spring-catch of suit-able construction, or by any other appropriate means.

The breech-block E is furnished at its forward end with two downwardlyprojectin g prongs, Ir, which are situated one at each side of the slot or groove m, and the front or forward surfaces of which are formed upon the arc of a circle corresponding to that upon which the forward end or surface of the breech-block is formed. The said prongs i' are designed to prevent the cartridges from being forced back out of the magazine D when the breech-block is elevated, the space between the said prongs being considerably less than the internal diameter of the said magazine.

In order to facilitate the passage of the cartridges (which are indicated in red outline in the drawings) from the magazincinto the carrying-chamber g, the rearmost portion of the said magazine maybe made of a somewhat curved form, as represented in the drawings, and may also be slightly enlarged.

When the breech block is depressed, as shown in Fig. 1, and hereinbefore explained, the action of the spiral spring a forces back the cartridges in the magazine D, so that the rearmost one of the said cartridges is caused to pass into the carrying-chamber g, as represented in the said figure; and in order to load the re-arm the operating-lever F is pulled or turned back around its pivot n, thus causi'n g the arm c thereof to move upward and forward. The extremity of the said arm c is rst brought away from the lower end of the spur d of the breech-block, and then, striking upon the rear portion,'a b', of the upper side of the groove or slot m, raises or elevates the breechblock into the position shown in Fig. 2, thus bringing the carrying-chamber g in line with the bore of the barrel, as hereinbefore mentioned. The extremityof the arm c then passes along the main portion b c of the upper side of the groove or slot m, and inasmuch as the said portion of the upper side of this groove or slot is formed on the arc ofa circle which, when the lneech-block is thus elevated, is concentric with thc pivot a of the lever F, itfollows that the breech-block will be retained in a stationary posit-ion while the arm c is acting upon the said portion b' c of the aforesaid upper side; and while the arm c is thus moving forward through the groove or slot on it also strikes the rear end of thc cartridge in the earrying-chamber y and forces forward the said cartridge into the barrel, as indicated in Fig. 2. This being done the operating-lever F is pushed forward,which, of course, causes the arm @thereoftomoveback. The extremity of the said arm, as it leaves the grooveorslot m, striking the forward surface ofthe spur d, forces the said spur backward, and depresscs the breech-block to close the breech` whereupon the said extremity of the arm c passes down in front of the lower end of the spur d, in order to resist any tendency on the part. of the breech-block to be forced upward by the explosion of the charge, as hereinbcfore explained. The lever F being thus brought forward, is secured in position by any suitable means, as hereinbefore set forth.

The cartridges employed may be of any appropriate variety, and the charge or cartridge in the barrel maybe tired or ignited by any suitable means.

What I. claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The breech-block E, constructed'with a carrying-claimber, g, arranged below and back of the solid recoil-face j' thereof, in combination with the barrel and a suitable cartridgemagazine, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In so combining the arm c of the operating-lever with the breech-block E that the forward movement of the said arm shall not only elevate the breech-block to bring the recoil face thereof away from, and the carryinging-chamber in line with, the bore of the barrel, but shall also operate to force the cartridge from such chamber into the said bore, substantially as herein set forth.

3. The combination of the downwardly-extending spnr d. of the breech-block with the arm c of the operating-lever, substantially as herein set forth, for the purpose specified.

4.. A. slot formed in the breech-block, and extending through or into the carrying-chamber g thereof, of such shape and so arranged in relation with the arm e of the operating-lever that the said arm by its forward movement shall simultaneously hold the breechblock in a stationary position and force the cartridge from the carrying-chamber into thel barrel, substantially as herein set forth.

JAMES A. WHITNEY.

Witnesses:

ABNER WHITNEY, WILLIAM R. WHITNEY. 

